Lake Maps

Fishing Regulations

Angling Opportunities

Lake Palestine offers something for everyone in terms of a fishery.
The lake is very popular for largemouth bass tournaments
due to its consistent success. Both white bass and hybrid striped bass are
present; white bass are particularly popular during their spring run up the
Neches River
and Kickapoo Creeks. Channel and blue catfishes are abundant
and flathead catfish provide great
opportunity for trophy-sized fish.

Species

Poor

Fair

Good

Excellent

Largemouth Bass

Spotted Bass

Catfish

Crappie

White & Hybrid Striped Bass

Fishing Cover/Structure

Most vegetation and inundated timber are located above the Texas Highway 155
bridge in the main lake, Highsaw and Ledbetter arms, in Kickapoo and Neches
River arms and in Flat Creek. Anglers have placed brush piles in many locations
between the dam and the bridge; these can be found using graph recorders. The
bridge itself provides excellent structure on the main crossing between Dogwood
and Coffee Cities and over Highsaw/Ledbetter creeks.

Tips & Tactics

Hybrid stripers and white bass are particularly
active from the dam to Highway 155 during winter months and into spring. Largemouth
bass anglers report greatest success in the upper end of the lake
(above the pipeline), in Cobb and Stone Chimney creeks, and Saline Bay. Catfish anglers
frequently drift fish with worms or chicken livers between Hawn point (at the
mouth of Flat Creek) to the Highway 155 bridges, and will
catch more legal sized fish if they target blue catfish using live fish or
cut fish as bait. Crappie anglers do well near 155 during
the spring with small jigs or minnows.